The Roads to Congress 2014

(Hardback)

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The 2014 midterm congressional elections provided a view of the attitude of American voters in the sixth year of Barack Obamas presidency. This book provides insight about the formative aspects of the 2014 campaign season as well as in depth coverage of key races for Congress. The first section has four chapters that cover the substance of topics that impacted this campaign cycle: the popularity and productivity of the 113th Congress, voter suppression laws passed in many states, the role of Super PACs and independent expenditures in the campaigns, and the use of social media by members of Congress running for reelection. Case studies follow the path of ten House and seven Senate races from inception to election postmortem. The chapters are narrative and provide analysis of an array of interesting and diverse contests from throughout the country. The authors provide succinct and highly readable chapters meant to illustrate the distinctive nature of the campaigns they are examining. Individual campaigns and elections are shown up close and be ready to compare and contrast because of the common format employed throughout the book. Taken together, the chapters reveal that the roads to Congress, while similar in so many ways, each follow a unique route to Capitol Hill.

Reviews

Another in the series of edited works on running for Congress, this volume explores seven races for the US Senate and ten for the House. Because of the common format used in each chapter, these 17 examinations of congressional elections allow readers to compare and contrast. In addition to chapters on individual contests, chapters are devoted to the 113th Congress, voter suppression laws, and the roles of super PACs and of independent expenditures. The concluding chapter looks at the legacy of the elections of 2014. An excellently written, even-handed summary of selected 2014 congressional elections. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. * CHOICE *
It is always necessary for both scholars and the voting public to read a helpful account of congressional campaigns and elections. The practice and health of our democracy is tied to them. However, given the hyper-partisanship that defines politics today, the gridlock that plagues Washington, the growing impact of big money on campaigns, and the bewildering array of complicated issues facing us, it becomes all the more important to have such a valuable resource as The Roads to Congress. Foreman and Dewhirst are to be congratulated on the latest installment of this vital series. The book contains essays on a wide array of campaigns and candidates that captures the intriguing and eventful election of 2014 and treats them in an even-handed and informative manner. Both House and Senate races are examined and the essays are thorough yet highly readable and provide the reader with a number of timely lessons. I recommend the book to anyone interested in that historic election or in the alarming changes occurring in American political campaigns. It will also make an ideal supplemental text for undergraduate and masters-level courses in campaigns and elections, the Congress, and related subjects. -- Robert P. Watson, Lynn University; author of Affairs of State, The Presidents Wives, and Americas First Crisis

Author Bio

Sean D. Foreman is associate professor of political science at Barry University and serves on the executive board of the Florida Political Science Association. Robert Dewhirst is professor of political science at Northwest Missouri State University and serves on the executive board of the National Social Science Association.